Yu-Gi-Oh! Immersion
by Lily Bookmarks
Summary: My special Season 0 project for all 10 of my fans. Magnolia Cherti Jones, the average 15 year old, is sucked into the world of Yu-Gi-Oh. Rated T for swearing. Slight Yugi/YamixOC
1. Chapter 1

**Surprise all 10 of you who like my stuff! I've been putting together a special Season 0 project for you guys! Enjoy Yu-Gi-Oh! Immersion.**

CHAPTER 1  
"Sō...Sore wa gēmu no jikandesu." Season 0 Yami muttered on my iPad screen.  
My coffee with cream brown hair bobbed up and down rapidly as I giggled at the fate that was about to befall Ushio. Serves him right for all the shit he pulled this episode.  
I'm a girl of many contradictions and twists. You could say I'm a sadistic person. I enjoyed seeing my enemies in pain, to a certain extent. I sharpened my nails to points. But I also did a lot of girly and geeky things. I painted my nails, both sets, in weird colors. I liked to listen to music, so much that I always had a set of headphones around my neck.  
But mostly, I was into this Shounen anime and manga called Yu-Gi-Oh and it's Season 0 counterpart. I was a bit embarrassed to talk about it though, because my family had this nasty habit of taking every instance of me showing any positive feelings towards a boy, especially the fictional ones, as a major crush and teasing me endlessly about it. Unfortunately for me, that amounted to a lot of teasing in my early years, when I was a tomboy and found more in common with boys than girls.  
I eventually got fed up with it and started my three year basement hibernation, where I smelled like must from being in my basement a lot. But it was all worth it. I discovered many joyous series that took my mind off the daily troubles like lots of schoolwork, arguments with mom, etc. Season 0 had a particularly soothing effect thanks to its load of violence. Also, Yami and Yugi might have had a large influence as well...  
Yami and Yugi. Those two alone brought a smile to my face, no matter my mood. Yugi's light and airy, yet intelligent voice calmed me, while just seeing Yami's sharp, calculating eyes gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. Not necessarily the same warm fuzzy feeling that came from a crush, though I was guilty of that, but one that came from having someone who could look after you no matter what.  
Those two, combined with the other characters, sometimes made me stay in the basement overnight. They were just so entertaining. I know, it was very unhealthy, but everyone has a guilty pleasure, and this and Yaoi were mine.  
This iPad meant everything to me. I had to earn every cent on my own, due to my family not being very wealthy. I worshipped it like it was my own soul, and took care of it just as well.  
But something was different tonight. As I watched Yami play the Yami no Game with Ushio, my vision began to fade. I didn't do anything about It, because I felt tired in the first place from a long day of schoolwork. I figured I needed the rest, so I paused the video and fell asleep.  
Little did I know this was going to be an adventure I'd remember forever.

**Theres the first installment! So far I have 5 chapters fully written and I'm working on 6 as we speak!**


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2  
**"Like an angel who has forsaken sympathy, rise up, young girl, and make yourself a legend!"**

I snapped awake at these bold words entering my subconscious. I was staring at a white ceiling, which meant I wasn't in my house. I was able to sit up with no pain at all, which meant I hadn't been kidnapped. I was very thirsty, though.  
Looking around, I found myself in a hospital bed, an IV attached to a vein in my arm. That took me by surprise. I hated needles with a fiery passion, no doubt they stuck it in while I was out.  
I found what looked like my iPad on a nightstand, as well as a foreign pair of headphones. I picked the appliance up, but instead of finding an iPad, it looked like an oversized tape player. It said Sony on the top and Walkman on the bottom. Needless to say, I was a bit mortified having the device I worked my ass off for replaced with a severely backdated box.  
Inside the Walkman was a mixed tape. Only a few songs originally on my music app were on the tape, but I recognized most of them. The strange thing was, they were all popular in the mid 90s, save for my tracks from the Yu-Gi-Oh movie, the Pyramid of Light. It was strange.  
A knock on my door startled me.  
"Come in." I said. A nurse with short baby blue hair came in and closed the door behind her.  
"Well, miss, are you feeling better?" she asked.  
"In lack of what my previous feeling was, I think so." I said. "I know this may seem like a stupid question, but where exactly am I?"  
"You're in Domino Hospital."  
It took me a minute for what she said to sink in. Domino Hospital...  
"You're kidding me now, right? Please tell me you're kidding."  
"Erm, no miss."  
"Wait, what year is this?"  
"...1997." she deadpanned.  
I could feel my jaw drop. This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't be. Any time now, I was going to get punched and wake up. Well, that explained the Walkman and mixed tape.  
"I need to get out of here as soon as possible."  
"Well, we still need to run a few tests on you. Nothing major, just a basic mental exam to check for concussion."  
I grumbled, but went with it. They put me in an imaging machine and made me do some tests that they give to people under the influence.  
"Well, you don't seem to have a concussion or worse. But you should be wary of hitting the back of your head." she said, tossing a pile of clothes to me.  
"Change up and you can get checked out." she closed the door behind me. I looked in the pile of clothing, I was a bit taken aback by what I found.  
Instead of the fuzzy pajama bottoms and pink Hello Kitty tank top I remember wearing, I had been given a Union Jack t shirt and a pair of flare bottom jeans, as well as a pair of dark blue converse shoes and a black bomber jacket with orange lining.  
There was also a very interesting necklace included. It was a heart shaped silver key with an Egyptian crook and flail set with a cyan jewel in the center. It and many cyan beads were strung on a leather strip. As I slipped it over my head, the beads seemed to glimmer.  
Then a thought struck me. If my outfit had changed, what else had changed about me?Thinking the worst, I dropped the clothes and looked at my reflection in the window.  
What I saw shocked me to the core. My hair was a dyed royal blue with blond highlights and cut to a ragged bob, while my eyes had turned from a muddy brown to an almost electric green. My face was completely clear of marks and sores. I had become an entirely different person! It took all my willpower not to scream.  
I... I... I looked hot.


	3. Chapter 3

****CHAPTER 3  
"Alright hon, your medical information is set. I just need to know your name and a few other things." the receptionist said.  
'What is my name?' I thought. How could I not remember my own name? Wait, I remember what it was now!  
"Magnolia Cherti Jones." I answered.  
"Age?"  
"15."  
"Height?"  
"5'3". " I thought they had all this already?  
"Alright, what's your current residence?"  
Oh crap. I had nowhere to go in this new world! What was I gonna do?!  
"Erm...N/A?" I said weakly. The receptionist stopped scribbling and looked up.  
"You don't have a home? What about parents?"  
What was I gonna tell her? I couldn't just say 'Oh my parents are in another parallel dimension.' Anime people don't take that kind of thing well! I decided to tell a white lie for now.  
"I'm an orphan. My parents died about a week ago in a house fire."  
"That's so sad. Tell you what. After my shift, I'll take you down to the orphanage and get you registered. From there, they'll do the rest."  
"You would do that for me? You don't know how much this means to me! Thank you!" I exclaimed.  
Time Skip  
By the time the receptionist's shift was over and I had registered in the orphanage, I had learned that her name was Marian Nakamura, Domino City's orphanage was a 20 minute walk from the nearest school bus stop and a 30 minute walk from Domino High, and my roommate was a complete jackass.  
"What the hell are you thinking?! Think of what could happen if you got hurt!" I said.  
Said jackass of a roommate was 8 year old tomboy Akimoto Michiyo. The little daredevil had shoulder length bright green hair that matched my eyes.  
"Yeah, so?" she said blatantly, perched at the top of the stairs on a sled and an American football helmet on her head.  
"Plus, this is against so many rules I can't begin to start listing them." I said.  
"Screw the rules, I have green hair!" she shouted, and then started down the stairs. Three steps down, the sled flipped, and she took a tumble.  
"Akimoto! Are you okay?" I said.  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just got the wind taken out of me." she squeaked. Suddenly, a voice came over the intercom.  
"Magnolia Jones, please come to the front office."  
"You sure you'll be okay?" I asked.  
"Of course! A daredevil gets up from anything!" she said.  
At Office  
"I'm sorry, what?!"  
"You start at Domino High tomorrow as a first class 10th grader. They already sent your uniform and bookcase." Miss Kafu Yoshizaki, the woman in charge of the orphanage said. Her assistant, Mister Yasukazu Tsukehara, handed me a package and a briefcase.  
"Thank you, Yoshizaki-sensei." I bowed and exited the room. When I went up the staircase, Akimoto was not there. She must have made her way to the infirmary.  
I went up to my room and closed the door. I started giggling like a little girl on Christmas morning and flopped down on my bed.  
"I'm going to Domino High!" I squealed. I had never felt more happy in my entire life! I could finally have the adventurous life I had so desired!  
But then a thought occurred to me. If I did even one thing wrong, the whole storyline, if not the space-time continuum could be ripped to shreds! I couldn't let that happen! Right then and there, I made a vow to myself that I would interfere with the events of this series as little as possible.  
Man, that's the shortest promise I've ever kept.

**For those who were interested, here's a list of all the songs on Magnolia's mixed tape:**

**Livin la vida loca  
Ice ice baby  
Everybody dance now  
Insane in the brain  
This is how we do it  
Blind ambition  
Butterfly  
Come sail away  
A cruel angels thesis  
Don't say you love me  
The great pretender  
I like that (we no speak Americano)  
Love like woe  
My best friends  
Mews theme  
Pokemon theme  
U better fear me  
Wannabe  
Virginian city  
When you're evil  
You ain't seen nothing yet  
Na na hey hey goodbye  
Kung fu fighting  
Get it on (bang a gong)  
Footloose  
Yu-Gi-Oh theme  
Believe in**


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4  
Man, this skirt was skimpy. I don't think I could even bend over to tie my shoes! I swear if I ever found out who designed these uniforms I was gonna give them a piece of my mind! I did like the orange top, though.  
But sexist skirts aside, I was told to wait outside the classroom. That was ok with me, since I wouldn't have had the nerve to enter beforehand anyway. While I was waiting for the teacher to introduce me, another thought occurred to me.  
If Season 0 was never dubbed in English, and I had never learned to speak or write Japanese, assuming this was Season 0, why could I understand everything everyone said? I decided not to cause a paradox and stop thinking about that one.  
"Come in." the teacher said. I opened the sliding door and entered. I'll admit it, I was shy as heck at the most inconvenient of times. I had my case in front of me and my head down to hide my face. My voice had a stutter for reasons that were unclear to me.  
"M-my name is Magnolia Jones. I-I come from Charelston, North Carolina in the United States of America. I hope we can all become good friends." I said, taking a glance up from the floor. Big mistake on my part. I saw many people staring at me, and even recognized a few. In the second column second row sat Yugi. Behind him sat Joey, and Tea had a third row window seat. I didn't see Tristan or Miho, I assumed they were in different home room. I also had no idea if this was Season 0 or not. Either way, I was freaking out.  
"I want you all to be nice to Magnolia. Magnolia, why don't you take a seat in front of Yugi." the teacher said, pointing to said seat. I shuffled to the seat and sat down. I took one of many pieces of paper and a pencil and started writing down what the teacher was saying, occasionally doodling in the margins.  
Before I knew it, afternoon break was upon us. I stayed inside like the loner I was and drew with my pencil. I glanced back at Yugi and saw him building a card house. So I was in Season 0, and on top of that, it was the anime. That meant that he was going to get the crap beaten out of him later in the episode. But that also meant that Yami wasn't gonna creep the everloving frig out of me.  
I grit my teeth at the thought. It pained me to know of future events but not be able to tell him. I felt as useless as a background character. I started to draw a demented lion creature with eagle wings, a humanoid face, and a fox tail.  
Soon enough, that kid with the basketball came in.  
"Hey, Yugi. Why don't you come play basketball with everyone else?" he asked. The house of cards tumbled.  
"Eh, no thanks. The team I'd join would lose, anyway."  
"True." the boy said. "New girl, what about you?"  
"M-my name is Magnolia. And sorry. Sports aren't my thing." I said. He shrugged and walked out the door. I returned to my drawing, taking out a brush pen to ink it.  
I was proud of my drawing skill. I wasn't the best by a longshot, but it was the only thing I considered myself to be really good at. The only thing I had yet to master was 3/4 view.  
I heard a klink of metal and a gasp. Looks like things were picking up. I looked behind me and saw Joey- no wait, this was Season 0, so Jounouchi looking at the golden box boredly. As if on cue, my headphones started blaring 'Get It On' by London Bus Stop. Thank you irony.  
Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do at this point. I could only watch as Jou messed around with Yugi's golden box, fists clenched in mild rage. On one side of my mind, a gentle, scared voice was whispering "You're a leaf in a calm stream..." but the other, more dominant half screamed "FRIG THE STREAM!" and forced my legs into motion.  
I stood up and snatched the box from Jou when he was off his guard.  
"Hmph. Its not nice to pick on the timid. I thought you were better than that." I said, pushing past him and giving the box back.  
"And what of it, new girl? I don't see how this is any of your business."  
"My name is Magnolia. And maybe it's not. But you know what? I'm a nosy girl. I also hate the timid getting picked on. So back off before I get Anzu in here to kick your blond butt back to Brooklyn!" I growled. At the mention of Anzu, he paled a little.  
"Feh, nosy girl. I'll remember this." he said, exiting the room. In exchange, Anzu appeared in the room.  
"What was that about? Jounouchi just stalked out of here like the world hates him." she asked. Because the world just loves to screw me over, my headphones started blasting 'Love Like Woe' by the Ready Set. Lovely stuff.  
"Oh nothing. I just saw a nice boy getting taken advantage of." I said. "But he does have a point. Sometimes, you've got to have guts."  
Yugi put on a shy grin. "But Jounouchi-kun isn't that bad of a guy..."  
"Magnolia's right. It's saying stuff like that about guys like him that makes people mock you! It's not right!" Anzu said.  
It was quiet for a minute before I switched the topic. "So what's in the box anyway?"  
"Oh! You and Anzu haven't seen this, have you? I'll show you, but it has to be kept a secret, okay?"  
Anzu nodded and I pretended to zip my lips shut. Yugi lifted the lid of the box to reveal the currently unassembled Millennium Puzzle.  
"Wow! What is that? Are these parts? They're all scattered..." Anzu said. Were we switching between the manga and anime?  
"It's a puzzle! I haven't completed it yet, so I don't know what shape it's going to be yet."  
"Ah! So it's something you can see, but can't see! I get it!" I said.  
"Right! I live in a game shop, and there are all kinds of rare and exotic games there! This was in the corner gathering dust, so now I think of it as a memento of my grandfather."  
I choked back a giggle as I spotted the look on Anzu's face. She honestly thought that Yugi's grandpa was dead! I was so using this against her one day. In what situation, I don't have a clue.  
Yugi then went into his theory on the carvings on the box and the story of the Millennium Puzzle. In all honesty, it was even more interesting than in the anime. At the end of his story, he laughed a little.  
"I've said too much, haven't I? You two must think its dumb. I can see it in your eyes."  
Are you frigging kidding me?! That was the most riveting tale of an ancient Egyptian artifact I've ever heard!" I said excitedly. "So what's your wish?"  
"Sorry, that's definitely a secret!" he said, giving a cute little wink that made my heart speed to a horse's gallop. But suddenly he looked depressed.  
"But the Puzzle is really difficult. I've been trying for 8 years and still haven't completed it. It gets me down sometimes."  
"I'm sure you'll get it soon! Maybe in these next couple of days!" I said. That seemed to cheer him up.  
Time Skip  
At the end of school, Yugi and I were on our way out when we noticed Ushio and his gang of cronies practicing what looked like Kung fu. I tugged at Yugi's wrist and we were almost off campus when-  
"Wait up you two."  
Frig. I slowly turned to face the giant of a student towering over us. Seriously, I think he was twice my height.  
"You're Yugi Moto and Magnolia Jones, right?"  
"Yes...?" I answered weakly.  
"I have to ask you two something. Have you two been bullied recently?"  
"What? No, I don't think so. Nothing like that." Yugi said. The giant raised a caterpillar of an eyebrow at us.  
"That's just what someone who's bullied would say. I must investigate this properly!" And here we go...  
"Don't worry, you two! From now on, think of me as your paid bodyguard."  
"Thanks but no thanks Major Stupidity. Me and Private Kawaii here can fend for ourselves just fine." I spat. I tugged Yugi's sleeve and we walked away.  
"Private Kawaii?" he asked, a bit confused.  
"I don't know. It fit with the military theme. See you tomorrow!" I said, and we parted ways.  
On the way home, I thought about what was going to happen to Joey and Tristan. Ra help them.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5  
The next day, I waited for Yugi by the gate. My Walkman had decided to play 'Believe In' by Skwib just as Yugi walked up. This Walkman had it in for me, I swear.  
"Hi Yugi!" I shouted, waving at him. His face seemed to light up at seeing me. We started walking up to school.  
"Those are some powerful headphones. Where did you get them?" he asked, looking at the small headphones around my neck.  
"These? I've had these for years." I said. I almost went into how I got them, but I bumped into what I thought was a wall. But when I looked up, it was Ushio. FRIG!  
"Yes, what is it, Ushio?" I asked boredly.  
"Ah, you two. Please follow me. I'm sure you'll be pleased." he grinned. Oh great, more of this. We followed him through the playground and around a corner. I clapped my mouth in shock when I saw a beat up Jou and Honda. They looked worse than in the anime.  
"What the hell did you do?!" I screamed, one part shock and one part rage.  
"Why do you act so surprised? I told you two that I would be your bodyguard."  
"Excuse me, but I never asked for this, and Yugi sure as hell didn't! I may be sadistic, but they're my friends! I am not sadistic to my friends!" I shouted. Yugi had rushed over to help the two. My Walkman had decided to blare 'A Cruel Angel's Thesis' by Shake.  
Ushio pushed us aside, saying that he wasn't done yet. He then proceeded to kick Jou in the stomach, making him cough up blood. I threw myself in front of him.  
"Stop it! We don't want any revenge! They never bullied us! Jou just wanted Yugi to be a man! And Honda didn't even do anything! Why the hell did you beat him up?!" I said.  
The man wall gave us a confuzzled look. "You two are weird. Why are you protecting these two? This is your chance for revenge!" Ok, now I was pissed.  
"Do you have cow pies for brains?! Is that what's happening here?! We. Don't. WANT TO BEAT UP OUR FRIENDS!" I screeched so loud that I think the windows cracked.  
"Geez, you're a screamer." one of the background goons said. I promptly told them to shut up.  
"Well, alright you two. By the way, it's time to pay up."  
"Excuse me?!" I clamored. "Are you nucking futs?! We never asked for this, therefore we shouldn't have to pay you of all people!"  
"It doesn't matter. This beating will cost you 200,000 yen. Magnolia, that's-"  
"I know what the conversion rate is!" I snapped. 2,000 US dollars. Crap.  
"...Fine. But if you harm so much as a hair on Yugi before the amount is paid in full, I swear to Ra I will do my best to break your arms." I growled.  
"Heh, fair enough. Pay me tomorrow." he laughed. I picked up Jou and hefted him over my shoulder.  
"Hey, Kung fu goons, a little help with Honda?" I grunted.  
"Why should we help you?" the same goon from before answered.  
"Because if you don't, I'll claw your face off." I growled. One member from the back slung Honda over his shoulder and followed me to the infirmary. We told the nurse they fell down some stairs. The Kung fu goon and I parted ways at the door, and I made my way to class.

Time Skip  
I knew for a fact that I had no money. And I didn't have the heart to ask Akimoto for any. She was only 8. I was fiddling with my key necklace as I sat on my bed. Akimoto was fast asleep, as it was at least 10 pm.  
"Please, if there is anyone who can, I beg of you to help me." I thought to myself.  
Suddenly, a blue glow filled the room. It took me a minute to realize that it was coming from my necklace. My vision went white.  
When I regained my vision, I was in a corridor filled with mist. There were two doors. One was open and it was a well lit room with the colors red, black, white, purple, yellow, and blue painted all over the walls. Inside was a flowerbed filled with roses, lillies, a pond filled with lotus blossoms, and a small patch of violets. Scattered on the wooden floor was a huge steel chain and an easel with a huge stack of paper and canvases next to it. What a mess.  
Across from that room was a door marked with claw marks. It had the same crook and flail as my necklace. I pushed it open with a huge iron creak. A huge roar echoed through the room and a large force tackled me to the ground. Sharp nails dug into my shoulders and I let out a scream.  
"Who dares to disturb my sleep?!" the force said. Bits of drool fell onto my face. The force lightened and subsided.  
"Oh, it is just my Maldiff. What is it, Maldiff?" the garbled voice said. It occurred to me that the voice was female. I took a closer look at the force and almost had a heart attack.  
It was the very same creature from my drawing a couple days ago. A lion's body, eagle wings sprouting from its shoulder blades, a humanoid face, and a fluffy fox tail. It's eyes had green scalera, slitted pupils and a Cheshire Cat smile that wrapped around her face. Dangling from her neck was the same necklace I had.  
"Who are you?!" I squeaked.  
"Kikikikiki! I am the Royal Lionspade Acacia, guardian of the Nameless Pharaoh, and by extension, all of Egypt." she giggled. That was one annoying laugh, but I said nothing.  
"And who might my Maldiff be?" she snickered.  
"Erm...Magnolia Jones, Guardian of Yugi Moto and company." I said weakly.  
"I do not know what this Yugi is, but it sounds adorable." Acacia said.  
"Look, can you help me or not?" I asked.  
"Oh, I can help you alright, but you have to relinquish control of your body for about an hour."  
"You're sure I'll get it back?" I asked. She nodded.  
"Well, ok." I said, and a familiar song began to play.

**"When the devil is too busy, and Death's a bit too much,They call on him, his name you see, for his special touch,To the gentlemen, he's misfortune, to the ladies, he's surprise,But call him by any name, anyway it's all the same..."**

That and a high pitched laugh were the last things I heard before I lost consciousness.  
Time Skip, ?'s POV  
Finally free! It felt good to be alive again! It felt amazing to be able to move, breathe and feel again! I had missed life so much!  
But something was very wrong. This didn't look like a desert. What was this place? Sure, I was on top of a building, glowering down with a cruel smile at my Sayyid's opponent, but what was this strange building?  
You know what, as long as I was with my Sayyid, it didn't matter.  
"What do we have here, Sayyid? Another fool who dare mess with your Maldiff?" I asked, leaning against the spire.  
"You could say that." my Sayyid said, his crimson eyes shining dangerously.  
"Kikikikiki! May I eat his soul? It looks so delicious, and I haven't eaten in 5,000 years!" I said, licking my lips.  
"Only if he loses the Yami no Game." he smiled.  
"Kikikikiki! Fair enough! This one will never survive! His soul smells of grapes and blackmail! One of my favorite combinations!" I laughed. My Sayyid and I took our positions for the Yami no Game. Mine was down in the canal, his was confronting our victim.  
I listened to my master play the game. Of course, he had rigged it from the very beginning to test our victim. Long story short, our victim failed the test and I got the juiciest soul I had tasted in 5,000 years.  
I almost felt sorry for taking this guy's soul. It left him whimpering on whatever smooth rock was under our feet. But the taste of grapes and blackmail took my mind off it immediately. It was so juicy too! I hadn't tasted a soul this juicy in forever!  
"Must you eat so loudly? I know you haven't eaten in 5,000 years, but still." my Sayyid asked. I realized how loudly I was eating and slowed down a little. I popped the rest of the soul in my mouth. We had reached the building gates and had to part ways.  
"See you tomorrow!" I said, and dashed down the street.  
I dove into Magnolia's memories and searched to her place of inhabitace. According to those memories, she lived in the local orphanage, a 10 minute flight or a 20 minute dash from my current position. I decided to dash there, as it would draw less attention to myself.  
I took off running and broke into a gallop, taking all the back alley passages I could find. We couldn't have an angry mob on our hands, now could we?  
I eventually approached a large brick building with a sign in front that read "Domino City Orphanage" on it. My host lived in an orphanage? Well, I guess it's better than living in a dirt den until you were 5. I dove into my host's memories again to find her room. Luckily, it had a window I could fly up to.  
Surprisingly, the window was open. When I got inside, I discovered why. It was positively roasting in here! It reminded me of home. I got into the bed that wasn't taken by the other human and was surprised by its comfort. I usually slept at the foot of my Sayyid's bed, remaining ever viligant for assassins. I this what he felt like sleeping very night?  
Regardless, I relinquished control to Magnolia, who was long since unconscious from the transformation.  
"Until next time, Magnolia." I thought.

**Translation Notes: **

**Maldiff=Host**

**Sayyid=Master**


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6  
Magnolia's POV  
I woke up in my bed with horrible aches and pains in my shoulder blades, coccyx, hands and feet. I should have asked Acacia about pain.  
Working through it, I got dressed and woke up Akimoto. Her school was only a 15 minute walk from the orphanage, so she had it made. I, however, was running late thanks to my injuries. I grabbed an orange and hobbled off down the street.  
"Shit, shit! I'm late, I just know it!" I grunted.  
When I finally did get there, something was off. There were whispers all around.  
"Did you hear about Ushio?"  
"Yeah! He was in such a shock that he had to be hospitalized!"  
I smiled. So good old Yami had taken care of him. So far, my presence in this world hasn't affected the storyline. Maybe I could stop being so conservative and have a bit of fun.  
On the way in, I ran into Yugi. He was delighted, but he looked pretty sore as well. He had a couple of bandages on his face, and there was no doubt there were more all over his body.  
"Hey! You finished the Puzzle!" I said, glancing at the now completed Millennium Puzzle.  
"Yeah! It's just like you said!" he smile, but he got a serious tone in his voice all of a sudden. "But are you ok? You took quite a beating last night, from what I remember."  
"Really? What happened?" I asked. But before he could tell me, we passed Jou. He looked even worse than Yugi.  
"Yo, Yugi and Magnolia. You guys ok? You took a few hard knocks last night."  
"So I've heard." I muttered.  
"I brought a treasure today. Wanna see it?" he continued. Yugi nodded. Jou smiled.  
"Sorry! My treasure is here, but can't be seen! So my riddle is this, Yugi: What can be seen, yet can't be seen?"  
Yugi thought about it hard. I smiled, already knowing the answer."Its friendship! Yugi, Jounouchi, and Magnolia are visible, but their friendship is invisible!"  
Upon registering what Jou said, Yugi split a grin a mile wide, which just made me happier. Jou took off, a show flying from his open pack and onto the floor. Yugi picked it up and ran after him.  
"Jounouchi-kun! You dropped your shoe!"  
And me? I just stood there, grinning like an idiot. I didn't get to see him this happy a lot. After about 5 minutes, my legs took me to my class.  
But something had obviously happened last night that I didn't know about. Something unusual. I needed to ask Acacia what she did last night.

**A bit of a short chapter to tie up loose ends. The way I'm handling chapters is like this: I do episodes in the order of the anime, but the dialogue of the episode will change due to my source having both manga and anime dialogue. Like the previous chapters, I may split up long episodes up into small chapters. **

**Speaking of sources, I'd like to take the time to thank all who reviewed and WorldsDreamerGirl14 for inspiring this story. The previously mentioned author wrote the story that inspired Yu-Gi-Oh! Immersion, and I highly suggest checking it out.**


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7  
When I got home that day, I sat down on my bed and fiddled with my necklace. Akimoto wasn't in the room, no doubt that she was out doing some death defying stunt.  
"Acacia, are you there?" I asked. My vision faded to white. I found myself in the messy room. Acacia was batting at her reflection in the pond.  
"Hello Maldiff." she smiled.  
"Acacia, I have to ask you something. What did you do to Ushio last night?"  
If she could smile any harder, she did. "Oh, that tasty little morsel? I ate his soul."  
"You WHAT?!" I screamed.  
"Yes. It tasted like grapes and blackmail."  
"Acacia! That could be murder!" She got up from her spot and walked over to me.  
"Not really. One technically lives without their soul, just without consciousness. Besides, it was my Sayyid who let me eat the soul."  
"Your Sayyid?" I asked.  
"My master."  
So Yami had ordered her to do this? "How did you get from here to the school and back? You look so much different from me, someone had to notice."  
"To get to the school, I simply took control of your body and walked there. It was trivial, really. When I got to the school, I saw your friend getting his ass kicked. Yugi is his name, isn't it?" she grinned. I growled a little.  
"So I did what any good guardian did. I tried to beat the attacker's ass into the ground. But you really need to work out more. Even with the help of Yugi's friends, I couldn't get a hit on him, and your body took a beating. The instant Yugi put the last piece of the Puzzle, I got the clear to transform. My Sayyid appeared, and we played a Shadow Game with our victim." she continued.  
"Which one?" I asked.  
"...What?"  
"There were two games you could have played. One involved stabbing money on your hand with a knife, the other involved flipping cards over and scaling a building."  
"We played the second one." she answered.  
"Awesome." I said.  
"Anyway, when the victim lost, I separated his soul from his body. He'll be fine, just hospitalized for a long time."  
"Well, even though I appreciate you sticking up for my friends and I, it was very wrong."  
"I don't care. You don't know how good souls taste. Sure, I can also eat meat, but the soul is the best part."  
"Acacia, it's almost murder!"  
"Again, don't care. I haven't eaten in 5,000 years, so I'm more hungry than I can ever imagine. I have to eat something! You of all people must know how that feels!"  
I stopped for a second. My family couldn't always afford to go grocery shopping every week like most families. I knew exactly what Acacia was talking about.  
"Maldiff? Are you ok?" she asked.  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just... Be careful, ok?" I said.  
"Will do, Maldiff. Now come back into consciousness. The dinner bell is ringing." she said. My vision went white again.  
"Mag! Mag!" Akimoto shouted while shaking my shoulders.  
"Akimoto, what did I say about calling me Mag? I don't constantly call you Aki, do I?" I groaned.  
"That doesn't matter right now! It's dinner time and it's beef night! That's like the best night of the week!" she said, grabbing that helmet of hers and running out the door. I followed her.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8  
I had been a week and 3 days since the first episode's events. In a story that's so long I dare not bore you with it, Anzu, with a little help from my desire to earn some goddamn money, had convinced me to work as a waitress with her at the local Burger World. As far as jobs go, this one wasn't half bad. And trust me, I've had a lot of jobs.  
As far as I could tell, I was in the manga right now. I had volunteered to get the next customer in and Anzu went to go pick up another order.  
I didn't know much of the manga's universe, only what I had read from fanfiction. I had no idea when, but I knew an escaped criminal was going to show up eventually and take Anzu hostage.  
The little bell on the door interrupted my thoughts. In walked a man with his head hung low, as if he was trying to hide his face.  
"Welcome! Is it just you, or are you waiting for someone?" I asked in a polite tone.  
"It's just me but...I'm lonely..." he smirked. In one swift motion, I was blinded and I had what I thought was a gun pressed against my head. I didn't even have time to scream. Yugi and Jou, who had been sitting at a table, did though, and they used it to scream my name.  
"Magnolia!"  
"Listen up! One sound, and this chick gets it!" he shouted. He took the ribbon tied around my wrist and used it to blindfold me.  
"When a person loses their sight, they can become so terrified they can't even speak. Muting a person has the opposite effect! After all, when they execute a person, do they mute or blindfold him?" he said. I really didn't give a frig, for I was too frightened to listen.  
He led me over to a table and made me sit next to him. I might as well have been a hunk of meat, because I couldn't do jackshit.  
There was only one thing on my mind: The events are wrong. Was it just because I was the closest to him that I took Anzu's place?! Ra, I hope so.  
"Now then...Bring me whatever I want! But who to do it..." he said.  
'Please not Yugi. Please not Yugi. Please not Yugi!' I thought.  
"You! Weak looking shrimp!" Crap in the Nile.  
"Yeah, you! Everyone else, get on the floor! Take one step towards me and the chick dies!" I heard scuffling as people got on the floor.  
"Bring me some booze! And some smokes! 'Lucky Stripe'! Only that brand!" he commanded. I heard shuffling, followed by silence, then light footsteps.  
"Maldiff, let me help you!" a garbled voice rose up from within my head and tuned out the surrounding noise. It was Acacia.  
"No! If you come out now, everyone will just get more scared!" I said, regrettably out loud.  
"Shut up!" the criminal shouted, but instead of slapping me across the face like I was expecting, he bonked me hard on the back of the head. A splitting pain filled my skull, and I think I blacked out for an instant.  
'So this is what the nurse meant about hitting the back of my head...' I thought.  
"MAGNOLIA!"  
Through my blindfold, I could see a bright yellow glow. I smiled a little, knowing what was going to happen.  
"Those who manhandle my precious Magnolia will suffer. However, I like letting chance decide that."  
Wait, what?! Had he just called me his precious?! I could feel myself blushing.  
"Heh, here's what you ordered." Yami said. I heard the thunk of metal on wood.  
"Why you-Did I say you could sit down?!"  
"What? I thought I could keep you company. If you've got the guts, how about we play a game?" he said in a bemused tone.  
I think we were in the anime now. Even though I wanted to watch, I was blindfolded and dared not to undo it. Though I wasn't wearing my Walkman, I could hear the song "Bang!Bang!Bang!Bang! Have A Nice Dream" playing in my head. That one wasn't even on the tape! How did- wait.  
"Acacia, are you fiddling around with my memory?!" I thought.  
'Yeah! Where did you get this odd music? It's very catchy!' she said.  
"Acacia, that music won't come out for another 6 years! If you somehow manage to make me sing that, it could cause a rapture!" I thought.  
"Okay! Geez, you don't have to make such a deal out of it!" she said. I focused my thoughts back on the Shadow Game.  
"Here's the lighter! Take it with you to the next world!" Yami said.  
"Huh?!"  
"Don't try firing your pistol either! The recoil would definitely make the lighter fall. Plus, that's Russian Vodka you're pouring, 90% alcohol."  
Yami took my wrist, making me blush even more. "Let's go, Magnolia."  
With my other hand, I undid my blindfold and threw it on the floor. Looking back, I saw the criminal put down his gun and take the lighter from the top of his hand.  
"I knew you wouldn't be able to follow the rules." Yami said, a yellow eye appearing on his forehead.  
"Sorry, Maldiff! My lunch has arrived!" Acacia said, and I found myself in the messy room.  
Son of a barf monster!  
Acacia's POV  
"For those who break the rules, it is destined to be a punishment game!" My Sayyid said. I had taken control of my Maldiff's body in order to claim the my lunch, this man's soul.  
The criminal threw his cigarette to the ground and picked up the pistol. "You brat! how dare you feed me that crap!"  
"The doors of darkness have opened." my Sayyid said. I smiled. The criminal went to fire a bullet, but instead he was engulfed in green and purple flame. As he screamed for mercy, I pulled his soul from his chest and bit into it like an apple. It tasted like a watermelon and something I couldn't pin down. Nevertheless, it was a delicious lunch. When I was finished, I relinquished control to my Maldiff. My Sayyid did the same.  
Magnolia's POV  
"I swear when I get a hold of her I'll-" I was shouting in the messy room. But I cut myself off when I found myself back in control of my body next to a very confused Yugi and an unconscious criminal.  
"Wha-what happened?! Why does my mouth taste like watermelon and metal?!" I asked.  
Seeing what I had assumed Acacia and Yami had done to the criminal, I grabbed Yugi's wrist and booked it out of the immediate area. Jou and Anzu joined us a moment later, where Anzu nearly crushed me in a hug.  
"Are you ok?!" she asked. I nodded.  
"Did you see who saved you?" she asked. A small smile played upon my lips.  
"No. But his voice sounded amazing." I said. If I told them the truth, it would mess everything up.  
"I never got to eat my burger! I'm starving!" Yugi said. Anzu and I looked at each other and giggled.  
Time Skip  
I was skipping along the sidewalk on the way home, singing an amazing song.  
**"You always find me Makin time, for youSo many dreams do come true,No room for failure, Can't be broke,**  
**Take a look at what we've got,Each other for one another,Friends till the end,Here we go,**  
**We stand together through these hard times,Don't let these days pass you on by,**  
**I believe in, you better believe thatI believe in you!**  
**Yeah!**  
**So now you look at me,While I'm lookin at you,I think to myself, 'I'm watching out for you.'Let's take a chance together, never have before**  
**When I think about thinking of you,It feels like there's nothing else to do,We took a chance together,Here we go**  
**We stand together through these hard times,Don't let these days pass you on by**  
**I believe in, you better believe thatI believe in you!**  
**I know that, you want it all!**  
**We stand together through these hard times,Don't let these days pass you on by,**  
**I believe in, you better believe thatI believe in you!**  
**I believe in, you better believe that I believe in you!**  
**Yeah!"**  
I felt amazing, in spite of the events that transpired. I almost hoped that the next event would come soon.


End file.
